After hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Marina were denied FEMA assistance to rebuild their homes, most of the families who have appealed the agency’s decision have not received aid. FEMA has either denied or not answered 79 percent — almost eight-in-ten — of the appeals, leaving residents and officials worried about […]
FEMA denies housing aid to nearly 80% of Puerto Ricans applicants displaced by Hurricane Maria
July 18, 2018 By
Judge temporarily blocks FEMA from ending housing assistance to Puerto Ricans
July 2, 2018 By
A federal judge on Saturday night temporarily blocked the government from ending housing aid to Puerto Ricans currently living on the mainland after being displaced by Hurricane Maria. U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin extended the program by just a few days, ruling the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cannot end the program until Tuesday. […]
Puerto Rico introduces bill to grant statehood to the island
June 28, 2018 By
Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative Jenniffer Gonzalez introduced a bill in Congress yesterday to grant statehood to the territory by 2021. “This is the first step to open a serious discussion regarding the ultimate status for the island,” Gonzalez said, according to the AP. Gonzalez, the territory’s resident commissioner, said the legislation currently has 14 Democratic […]
Puerto Rico’s new law to allow to privatize power grid
June 26, 2018 By
Puerto Rico is officially moving to privatize and upgrade its outdated power grid exactly 9 months after it was flattened by Hurricane Maria. At a press conference on last week, Governor Ricardo Rosselló signed into law the approved legislation that allows parts of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority – known as PREPA in English and AEE in Spanish […]
Study reveals the death toll after Hurricane Maria was more than 4,600 people and not 64
May 30, 2018 By
According to a Harvard study released yesterday, Hurricane Maria likely killed thousands of people in Puerto Rico last year, more than 70 times the official estimate. “Our results indicate that the official death count of 64 is a substantial underestimate of the true burden of mortality after Hurricane Maria,” the study says. Authorities in Puerto […]
Lin-Manuel Miranda hopes to raise more money by taking Hamilton to Puerto Rico
May 7, 2018 By
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the Broadway smash-hit “Hamilton,” appeared live on “Good Morning America” today and opened up about bringing the show to Puerto Rico in 2019. “We’re trying to raise millions” for hurricane recovery efforts, Miranda said. “We’ll have hundreds of $10 tickets available for Puerto Ricans on the island, but we’re also […]
Six Months after Maria and suicide hotline calls double in Puerto Rico
April 2, 2018 By
Magdaliz Medina struggles each day to meet life’s basic needs: electricity, water, food, but there’s a darker challenge she faces six months after Hurricane Maria: her mental stability and the crushing depression that visits her each day in her darkened home. “I sit and cry all day,” said Medina, 42, who has lived without power or […]
Puerto Rico braces itself as hurricane season approaches
March 14, 2018 By
Signs of a slow-moving recovery are apparent in Puerto Rico six months after the territory was devastated by back-to-back hurricanes and two months before the next hurricane season begins. “As the next hurricane season quickly approaches, appropriating funds to a rapid deployment, energy independent private sector disaster recovery and business continuity communications network should be […]
US Army’s top engineer ‘not satisfied’ with post-Maria recovery in Puerto Rico, but claims he can’t go any faster
February 22, 2018 By
It’s been 150 days since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, but the island still isn’t at a level of recovery that satisfies the U.S. Army’s top engineer. “I am not satisfied that people in Puerto Rico should have to wait that much time for power,” Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite said Wednesday during an interview […]
Recent Comments